Thursday, January 25, 2007

A.M. Salad is an ever-changing sound sculpture set in motion, currently existing at a junction between energized, chaotic rumble and waves of trancing drone; a moody, schizo-sensory treatment fusing meditation and destruction. Sounds are teased from mic’d wire, metal, tools, assemblages, and junk instruments by way of flailing, untamed movement from man, device, and environment. Sounds are altered and infused with various electronics.

A.M. Salad began in 1994 as the longer-named Amish Macaroni Salad by small town introvert and boredom connoisseur Keith Childress (me). Amish Macaroni Salad recorded a lot of solitary lo-fi sound experiments during the early to mid-90s, using a cheap karaoke machine and an arsenal of thrift store gadgets, appliances, distressed vinyl, and various mic’d sound makers. Some of the recordings were released on E.F. Tapes, while others were self-released in small numbers.

Following the early Amish Macaroni Salad explorations, I began playing in groups with some other musicians on the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Algebrassiere who rarely played live though released some recordings on labels such as Ecstatic Yod, Scratch-N-Sniff, Imvated, Deathbomb Arc, etc.

Reducing the name of my solo project to A.M. Salad, I have continued to explore new sound sources, and new techniques. In 2004 a collection of my early tape work was re-released on a CD called “Lo-Fi for Hi-Fi” by a consortium of labels: Eerie Materials, Gold Soundz, Little Mafia, Nihilist, Sloth Jinni, SunShip, and White Tapes. I continue to work with DIY labels, though most of my newest work has been self-released. My recordings range from collage amalgamations to loose improvisations to planned attacks. Absurdity and bad humor also have their place in my work. I view my art as a serious passion, though without (hopefully) taking myself too seriously in the process.

I began playing A.M. Salad live in 2005, and have participated in festivals including the 804noise Fest in Richmond, Virginia; the SoundScape Movement Fest in Chapel Hill, N. Carolina; and the International Noise Conference in Miami, Florida. In my live sound, as in my recordings, I continue to have an interest in giving a voice to utilitarian objects whose purposes are not generally associated with sound as a primary function, or whose sound is not generally associated with a musical context . I continue to gravitate towards the faulty, spastic, accidental, and untamed while melding textures and unstable environments into a myriad of half-emotions and fleeting sensory stimuli. A.M. Salad welcomes the chaotic and unknown, as well as the clumsy and uncomfortable.

I consider myself a smiling pessimist at war with myself, while attempting to open up to the other, and embrace the forgotten or otherwise deemed unimportant in this egocentric, power dominated world. I currently receive junk mail, greasy restaurant menus, and bills in Baltimore, Maryland. I try to visit “the wild” as much as possible… .

About HzCollective:

HzCollective is a Virginia based experimental, noise & improvised music collective serving to strengthen the bond between the Richmond and Charlottesville creative arts communities. The collective fosters a local network of experimental artists and enthusiasts by organizing performances and workshops involving local and touring artists from around world.